The Splendour of Angel's Glory
by Uskius
Summary: Just as it seems all is well, a few secrets are revealed and Ash Ketchum faces his most powerful opponent yet.


It had been a rare introspective moment for Ash Ketchum: he was about to leave the region, off on another adventure, when he realized he'd become a three-time Pokemon Champion. He'd met and defeated several legendary Pokemon in battle, seen the wonders of nature in many different regions, all with his favorite Pokemon in the world(and friends) by his side. He knew his journey wasn't done, but right now there was only one place he could imagine going: home.

"So whaddya say, Pikachu? Wanna go back to Pallet Town?"

Pikachu nodded, and pointed down the road. "Pika pii!"

Ash chuckled. "Alright! Let's go!"

**-The Ketchum house, Pallet Town-**

Delia Ketchum was in the middle of cooking a few fish fillets to take to Professor Oak and Tracey when she heard the doorbell ring. _Did Tracey forget his sketch book?_ Flicking off the stove but taking the skillet with her, Delia went to answer the door. _Oh! My baby!_ She flung open the door and hugged her son. "Ash, sweetie... it's so good to have you at home again..."

"Ow- AH!- could you let me go?"

"What, your mother can't hug you anymore?"

"The skillet, mom-" Delia glanced down, and noticed she still had the skillet in hand. The bottom of it had been pressed to the base of Ash's neck.

_Oh, and the fillet, too._ "Sorry, dear. Come on inside." As Ash gingerly rubbed his burn, Delia bent down and picked up the fallen fish fillet, and dropped it back in the pan. _Trim that part off and season it again. They'll never know._ She closed the door after herself and hummed as she lightly stepped back into the kitchen. "So, Ash, how was Unova?"

"Oh, it was amazing! So many different Pokemon that I'd never seen before-" Ash reached into his backpack and pulled out his Unova pokedex. "Here, let me show you some." Holding it out so his mother could see it while cooking, Ash started with the Pokemon he'd received from Professor Juniper. "Do you remember Oshawott? It evolves into Dewott; I'll always remember when mine..."

Delia smiled, and sprinkled the seasoning on the fillet while Ash told of his Oshawott's evolution. _Wish I'd had one of those to start with. All Professor Oak had for me was three Great Balls and an old Friend Ball. The younger kids got to the Charmanders and Squirtles before I showed up._

"-And that's when it evolved into Samurott," Ash explained, scrolling down. "That's a Pansage, and Simisage... my friend Cilan had them..." Flipping the newly seasoned fillet over, Delia saw a familiar looking shape.

"That's not a Spearow, is it?"

"No, it's a Pidove." _Waaaay better than a Spearow._ Ash scrolled more until he came to Excadrill. "My friend Iris had one of these. They can be pretty tough to control, if you're not careful."

"Like Charizard?"

"Not exactly," Ash said vaguely, remembering the time Iris' Excadrill could talk. "But close."

Hearing soft footfalls, Delia turned her head and saw Mimey walking in. _Finish cooking this for me while I talk with Ash, okay?_ He nodded and came into the kitchen. Delia put her arm around Ash and led him to the den, where they sat down on the couch. "And Iris was that wild girl with the big hair, right?"

"Heh, yeah. She actually kept her Axew in there, until it evolved." _Ooh, I forgot!_ "Uh, mom? I kinda invited Iris over... and Misty... and May..."

_Exactly like I was at his age._ "Just the girls?"

Ash blushed slightly. "Uh, I invited Brock and Max and Cilan, too. For my birthday. Would that be okay with you, mom?"

"Of course, Ash. You deserve a nice break between your travels." Delia smirked and ruffled Ash's hair. "Just you wait, in two weeks I'll throw you the best twelfth birthday party ever."

"Aw, thanks." The young trainer's attention switched back to his Pokedex. "So this is an Axew... and that's a Fraxure and Haxorus... Drayden had one too."

"So you won the Unova league championship?"

"Uh-huh, but it took a couple tries..." Staring at his knees, Ash turned off the Pokedex suddenly. "Hey mom... what do you think makes a Pokemon master?"

"...I used to ask myself that, when I graduated high school." Delia sighed. "Your father and I talked about it a few times, too... but we could only agree it involved specific Pokemon." Her expression lightened. "And that's his big adventure- or how it started, anyways. To find the ultimate Pokemon and become a Pokemon master."

"But... wouldn't your favorite Pokemon be the ultimate ones?"

"Pika!" Pikachu added enthusiastically.

"Having a trusty Pokemon who'll follow you outside a ball is a big part of it," Delia answered, patting Pikachu on the head. "Like Mimey, or Pikachu." _Mimey, we'll be headed outside soon. The fish should be almost done._ "Ash, honey... you've heard of Arceus, right?"

An intense bundle of memories unwrapped in Ash's mind. "Yeah... how'd you hear of Arceus, mom? Did Dawn tell you about it?"

"No. There... I heard from a man I dated in high school. He was very interested in powerful Pokemon, too, and for a while I traveled with his... friends."

"...Is that were you met dad?"

Delia shook her head. "I met your father at the Cinnabar Islands. I had just flown over there from Viridian City, and your father saw me on the beach after I caught a Pokemon." She stood up, dusting off her skirt. "Ash, let's go outside."

"But I just got here," He said, confused.

"Oh, it won't take long. Come on." She skipped up and opened the door, waving Ash over. The mother and son stepped out into the bright sunshine, Pidgeys chirping and wings fluttering.

"So what's up, mom?"

"I want to challenge you to a Pokemon battle." Said Mrs. Ketchum, with an faint hint of... confidence?

"Without Mimey?"

Delia nodded. _These Pokemon haven't been out in broad daylight in years!_ Reaching into her hair above her ponytail holder, she pulled out two small, old-fashioned Great Balls. "Look away for a moment, please." Ash obeyed, and Delia reached into her blouse and pulled out an old Friend Ball. "Okay."

_A third? Until Mimey, I thought she'd never had Pokemon._ "Well, I'll go easy on you."

"You may be a three-time Pokemon Champion, but you're still only eleven. I think it's time I showed you what a real Pokemon master looks like." Delia held up the Friend Ball. "I was lucky enough to capture it... and but for its size, it'd stay out with me like Mimey does. Did you learn how Arceus lives in its own dimension, and how it vowed to judge humanity?"

_How does she know this?_ "Um, yeah, mom."

"It couldn't just base its sentence on one betrayal, could it? 'So it created dozens of Pokemon, impartial sentinels to observe the world for it as it slumbered.'" _He's beginning to see where I'm taking this..._ "So my side of the ultimate Pokemon and Pokemon master argument with your father was owning one of these made you a Pokemon master."

"...So I guess you won that argument, huh?"

Delia smiled. "If it was that easy, I wouldn't have hung around with your father and he wouldn't be off on his own adventure right now. Ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be. Go, Emboar!" The Mega Fire Pig Pokemon appeared in front of Ash and beat its chest, its fists catching fire.

"Come out, 'M!" The Friend Ball let out a beam of light, which split out in iridescent fractals and grew to over twenty feet tall.

_I can almost see a Pokemon's outline in there- but I can't look at it for very long... is it transparent, too?_ "Use a Fire Punch, Emboar! Emboar?"

"Em... _boar..._" The flames crackling around his fists died down as he stared at his opponent.

_"He can see you, too..."_ Thought Delia, with a smile. _"Double Edge would be fine."_ The glimmering tower of fractals flowed into an nearly recognizable pattern, and it barrel rolled and looped around before colliding head first with Ash's Emboar. The colossal impact knocked Emboar flying several yards past Ash.

_"That didn't quite do it,"_ 'M thought to Delia. _"One more?"_

_"No, that will be all for now. I'll recall you in a minute."_ Delia looked up to 'M. _"I hope you didn't mind doing this."_

_"Not at all, Delia."_

Ash jogged over to check on Emboar. _Still awake..._ "Hang in there, buddy." He helped Emboar to his feet, and walked back to his previous spot. "Could you give me another Fire Punch?"

"Em emboar..." He huffed. Emboar's eyes glowed red, the flames of its beard curling up higher still. Its fists ignited once more and it lowered its head and charged 'M, looking up at the last second and giving a mighty swing of the arm. Surprisingly, 'M slumped down, the shimmering pattern of fractals closing in on itself.

Delia raised her eyebrows. "Return, 'M!" Her hand was at her collar when she remembered Ash was watching. "Look away again, Ash." Her son turned his head, and Delia tucked the Friend Ball back into its usual place. "Alright."

Ash rubbed his eyes and looked back to his mother. "Why was that Pokemon so hard to look at?"

"It and the rest like it are only bound by the energy of Arceus' dimension, and not by a body like normal Pokemon. They _can_ be a little rough on the eyes. Now get ready, I have another one coming out." She nodded to Ash and raised up the Great Ball in her right hand. "I choose you, 'H!" The ray of light flared out up and up, a pearlescent kaleidoscope of color taking a loose shape. It stood at over thrice 'M's height, at eighty feet tall. Its cry was a long and seemingly random string of sounds, the notes striking a discord and harmony with certain emotions in Ash. _"Just one Psychic, 'H."_

_"That seems fair, as Ash looks quite distressed. As you wish."_ For a moment, 'H sparkled an achingly beautiful cerulean, and flashed. Briefly Emboar was surrounded by an aura of energy the same shade of blue, before it burst out. When it faded, Emboar was unconscious on his back in a shallow crater.

"Pika..."

_That's what I thought too, Pikachu..._ Ash recalled Emboar, and with a sigh of relief saw his mother recall 'H. "Well... I guess you're next, Pikachu. Get ready to use Thunder Armor..."

"Pika pi," Pikachu agreed, a random spark flying from his cheek.

Delia stuffed 'H's ball back into her hair. "Alright! Go, Picash!" The beam of light zig-zagged out from the Great Ball, and faded away to nothing.

"I- what? I don't see a Pokemon, mom."

_"A battle, Delia?"_

_"A very short one; more like a lesson. I won't put my son through a full battle with you."_ "Picash is right next to me, just look a little harder."

_I can almost- no, that just looks like heat rising off the road._ "Mom... where did you get all these Pokemon?"

Delia frowned with the corners of her eyes. "...The man I dated in high school knew some very shady people, Ash. Me and Feary flew all over Johto and Kanto and snuck around to talk to them... I followed their clues and eventually they led to 'H, and 'M and Picash."

"Was- was 'the man you dated in high school' my father?" _There. I finally asked._

"No, your father is someone we can both be proud of. Don't worry." _"A Super Mirage, Picash. His cute little Pikachu is actually pretty tough."_

_"Enough to merit a Super Mirage? Hmm, this is quite the 'lesson' you're teaching him."_

_"Hey! Moms can still be cool!"_

_"I never stated otherwise."_ Simultaneously, Ash ordered a Thunder Armor from Pikachu and Delia ordered Picash to get moving. A levin bolt shot down from the sky and struck Pikachu, who glowed with an electric aura of energy and wore a very smug and confident look on his face. From beside Delia a swarm of small, golden translucent Unown glyphs appeared. They brought total silence with them, until Ash could only hear his own heartbeat. Crashing into Pikachu, many of them glittered and expanded into nothingness, but eventually Thunder Armor was breached and they swam over Pikachu's fur. The air around the Lightning Mouse dimmed, and the Unown glyphs melted together into a golden haze and flashed. Pikachu was left motionless as a statue, still in the postion of wiping off the Unown glyphs.

_My, my electric energy! It's going out of control!_ The life force currents of Pikachu swelled and swelled, until the Unown glyphs flashed hot; the fleeting but outrageously intense surface burn of the energies shocking Pikachu unconscious.

_"Thank you for your time."_ Delia recalled her Pokemon, and slipped Picash's ball back into her hair. "And that's that, for now. Let's go back inside the house, Ash: those fish fillets won't hop into a basket and walk over to the Pokemon Lab by themselves."

**THE END**


End file.
